[mohdkhamsya]

I'm awaiting a pair of IT03, myself and have heard DN2KJ and P1. DN2KJ are definitely not my cup of tea. P1 are much more evenly balanced, whereas DN2KJ had good bass but were too bright / piercing to my ears. I get the feeling that the IT03 are going to lean more towards the DN2KJ side but with a fuller sound and less piercing treble. In fact, I get the feeling IT03 might sound reminiscent of one of my favorite FLC8S tunings. Of course, this last part is merely speculation until I get (and burn in a pair) of IT03.

The main reason I posted was to say how different the two other IEM you're deciding between are. It's hard to help out or give recommendations when you don't provide your listening preferences - what sound signature you're after, what music you listen to, source, etc. Let us know that, and we'll be better able to help you out!

Thanks for chiming in! Appreciate it. Well I prefer a balanced tuning, close to reference but with a little bit of bump in the bass. My reference cans are the he560 and I very much like the noble 4 although I always wished that they had more bass.

 

[bavinck]

Thanks for chiming in! Appreciate it. Well I prefer a balanced tuning, close to reference but with a little bit of bump in the bass. My reference cans are the he560 and I very much like the noble 4 although I always wished that they had more bass.

I think you may like the IT03 then. To my ears they are smooth, balanced iem with a little peak in the upper mids and a good dose of rumble down below. YMMV though, of course.

 

[mohdkhamsya]

I think you may like the IT03 then. To my ears they are smooth, balanced iem with a little peak in the upper mids and a good dose of rumble down below. YMMV though, of course.

Thanks for the recommendation. I am concerned with comments about the soundstage though. It's too bad that I can't audition iems here. It's one of the things I miss about home.

 

[tgx78]

Thanks man. Deciding between this, the P1 and dn2002. Have you heard any of these other two iems? I'm also supposed to be getting the phantom master 4 in a month or so if there aren't any more delays.

I was switching between the P1 and IT03 this morning before I saw your post.

My sentiment is that their SQ punches above their price point and both IEM pushes their driver(s) capability to high potential. It's basically well engineered dynamic driver vs well implemented BA+DD hybrid setup complementing each other. P1 absolutely benefits from amping and with right tips ( i use supplied triple flange) it can sound very natural + musically engaging with sufficient resolution to satisfy my large orchestral music crave. P1's wide soundstage also helps a lot here. IT03 doesn't really need an amp to shine and I am digging it with smaller chamber ensemble and solo pieces with it's great imaging and micro detail giving accurate portrayal of recorded music.

 

[audio123]

it03 strength is not soundstage, rather the sub bass and extension. for deep soundstage try fidue sirius while for wide soundstage try kaede 2

 

[mohdkhamsya]

I was switching between the P1 and IT03 this morning before I saw your post.

My sentiment is that their SQ punches above their price point and both IEM pushes their driver(s) capability to high potential. It's basically well engineered dynamic driver vs well implemented BA+DD hybrid setup complementing each other. P1 absolutely benefits from amping and with right tips ( i use supplied triple flange) it can sound very natural + musically engaging with sufficient resolution to satisfy my large orchestral music crave. P1's wide soundstage also helps a lot here. IT03 doesn't really need an amp to shine and I am digging it with smaller chamber ensemble and solo pieces with it's great imaging and micro detail giving accurate portrayal of recorded music.

Thabks for the comparison. Considering that I have a hybrid iem coming, I might just go with the P1. My irrational inner Head Fi voice however is telling me to get both the P1 and it03. :-/

 

[jamato8]

  it03 strength is not soundstage, rather the sub bass and extension. for deep soundstage try fidue sirius while for wide soundstage try kaede 2

I listen to a lot of classical music and when well recorded, hall acoustics and depth perception should be there. The IT03 for me render the well  recorded classics  through my daps and especially the Chord Hugo with a depth that is normal, not hyper huge or small but good placement with a believable staging, imaging and timbre for the instruments. I also listen to live music and most of the time find recorded music, when well done, to have more detail and information than what you hear live but some of the other acoustical properties aren't there so it is a mix but both can be great.
 
This goes for complex passages as well as smaller ensembles. I also enjoy live recordings of Hendrix and some of his recordings were surprisingly well done, though not all. 

 

[powasky]

It'll be interesting to see how these stack up against the PM4 and PM6. Debating cancelling my (ultra hype train) PM6 pre-order and going with IT03. I'm mostly concerned about PM6 build quality.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Auditioned the IT03 for a good 45 minutes today.
 
Coming from a (former) FLC8S owner, here's how I heard it (compared to FLC8S in grey-grey-gold config):
 
- Much more powerful sub-bass, greater definition in mid/upper bass. Overall bass sounded fuller and warmer but doesn't suffer in speed.
- Mids are a tad leaner and colder, but otherwise detail level is very similar. Vocals sounded more laid-back but maybe a little clearer.
- Highs are smoother and more refined. No annoying peaks and extends very finely. Good amount of sparkle without being fatiguing.
- Soundstage is quite similar, very wide but not so much depth.
- IT03 has the upper hand in separation and imaging (very precise).
- Very airy presentation, surprisingly more airy than the FLC.
- Above average resolution but FLC edges it slightly.
 
Cons?
- Coherency wasn't the best I've heard in a hybrid, but certainly not bad at all. (especially for the price)
- Tonality is slightly on the thin side, not as much texture and timbre richness as I would have liked.
 
How I would rank it among other similar priced hybrids:
DN-2002 = FLC8S => IT03 > DN-2000J > DN-2000 = A83
 
The IT03 is no Andromeda, unfortunately. But being cheaper than most hybrids I know of, the IT03 certainly has crazy value-for-performance and hangs with the best hybrids in the market.
 
 
(Edit: updated ranking after some thought)

 

[nmatheis]

Glad to see you here @lalala6. Seeing more and more FLC8S peeps chime in positively here gives me confidence this is good. I'm a red-gray-gold guy with FLC8S, so I'll comment on IT03 vs that configuration once IT03 are in my hands and properly burned in. Hearing your comments, my guess is that IT03 is most similar to FLC8S with something like red-gray-green but with smoother highs. Is that a good guess?
 
How do you find IT03 ergonomics vs. DN-2002 and FLC8S? I had a hard time with DN-2002. It just doesn't fit me well. FLC8S are so small, they're easy to get a good fit for my ears.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

  Glad to see you here @lalala6. Seeing more and more FLC8S peeps chime in positively here gives me confidence this is good. I'm a red-gray-gold guy with FLC8S, so I'll comment on IT03 vs that configuration once IT03 are in my hands and properly burned in. Hearing your comments, my guess is that IT03 is most similar to FLC8S with something like red-gray-green but with smoother highs. Is that a good guess?
 
How do you find IT03 ergonomics vs. DN-2002 and FLC8S? I had a hard time with DN-2002. It just doesn't fit me well. FLC8S are so small, they're easy to get a good fit for my ears.

Hey nmatheis, yup that's how I would describe it except the treble quantity is somewhere between grey and green.
 
I found the IT03 a bit too large, they didn't sit well in my ears.  The stock tips also didn't fit that well and I had to fiddle around for a seal. DN-2002 in comparison was better and managed to fit me fine. The FLC has the best ergonomics, they sit flush in my ears and are so light!

 

[HiFiChris]

As a (huge) fan of the FLC8s, there are indeed some areas where I find the IT03 to be superior:

• Bass speed: directly compared with the grey ULF filter, the FLC is slightly faster; however with the red filter to bring both at the same level in the sub-bass, the IT03 is ahead whereas the FLC8s then has the shorter bass attack.
  
• Realism in the treble: the FLC8s is very detailed up top but has got a dip around 5 kHz and a narrow peak (not an emphasis though, but that depends on the filters) around 8 kHz. While I wouldn't say the IT03 is more detailed in the treble, I would def. say that it sou ds more even/realistic here (same as with the UERM and ER-4S: the UE has got the superior treble resolution but the ER-4S is just more even and realistic).
  
• When it comes to overall detail retrieval and separation, I would give the edge to the FLC8s. But compared to the Fidue A83 and Primacy, the IT03 has some areas where it excels (speed, separation, evenness).
  So regarding hybrid IEMs, I would see it between the A83/Primacy and FLC8s/DN-2002, although the IT03 does have some things that make it unique by itself.

 

[nmatheis]

Hey nmatheis, yup that's how I would describe it except the treble quantity is somewhere between grey and green.

I found the IT03 a bit too large, they didn't sit well in my ears.  The stock tips also didn't fit that well and I had to fiddle around for a seal. DN-2002 in comparison was better and managed to fit me fine. The FLC has the best ergonomics, they sit flush in my ears and are so light!

Thanks for confirming and for the additional comments on ergonomics. The fit is my main area of concern with these.

 

[nmatheis]

I should be getting a pair in early next week and will be bringing them to RMAF with me Friday and Saturday, so if anyone is going and wants a listen please come find me. I'll be wearing a (you guessed it) DJ Spock t-shirt. I'll have alcohol pads along to keep them clean, so no worries about other people's ear goo

 

[nmatheis]

As a (huge) fan of the FLC8s, there are indeed some areas where I find the IT03 to be superior:

• Bass speed: directly compared with the grey ULF filter, the FLC is slightly faster; however with the red filter to bring both at the same level in the sub-bass, the IT03 is ahead whereas the FLC8s then has the shorter bass attack.
  
• Realism in the treble: the FLC8s is very detailed up top but has got a dip around 5 kHz and a narrow peak (not an emphasis though, but that depends on the filters) around 8 kHz. While I wouldn't say the IT03 is more detailed in the treble, I would def. say that it sou ds more even/realistic here (same as with the UERM and ER-4S: the UE has got the superior treble resolution but the ER-4S is just more even and realistic).
  
• When it comes to overall detail retrieval and separation, I would give the edge to the FLC8s. But compared to the Fidue A83 and Primacy, the IT03 has some areas where it excels (speed, separation, evenness).
  So regarding hybrid IEMs, I would see it between the A83/Primacy and FLC8s/DN-2002, although the IT03 does have some things that make it unique by itself.

Thanks for your thoughts, Chris. Just to clarify, are you saying FLC8S bass has sharper attack or faster decay or something else. I wasn't quite clear on that point. Everything else you say makes sense.

And do you agree with others that IT03 mids are a bit on the thin / cold side?